Christa Pike survived a lethal injection in Tennessee last Wednesday after receiving two doses of pentobarbital, and her attorneys announced Tuesday that she is now conscious and speaking. They’re calling the recovery medically unprecedented, though her prognosis remains uncertain. Pike was convicted in the 1995 torture and murder of Colleen Slemmer, a case that has stayed in the public eye for three decades. Her legal team is scheduled to hold a press conference Wednesday.
Colleen’s mother, May Martinez, told reporters she had a feeling Pike would survive. When asked for her thoughts, she offered a line that says more than any legal brief could: “It doesn’t matter what I think. They’re going to do what they’re going to do.” Legal experts say a second attempt at lethal injection could face Eighth Amendment challenges, and it’s unclear whether Tennessee would pursue one at all.
For the Slemmer family, this isn’t a courtroom debate. It’s another chapter of waiting that most of us can barely imagine. As this story develops, the questions about capital punishment protocols and what happens when an execution fails are only getting louder. We’ll keep you updated as details come out of Tennessee.
What do you think — should a state be allowed to attempt an execution a second time after a failed one? Let us know in the comments.
